The present disclosure generally relates to containers. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to lightweight containers having improved vacuum resistance capacities and improved aesthetics.
Currently, the market comprises many different shapes and sizes of containers capable of housing fluids. The shape and size of fluid containers can depend, among other things, on the amount of fluid to be housed, the type of fluid to be housed, consumer demands and desired aesthetics. For example, toxic fluids may be required to be housed in containers that have thicker walls and a more rigid structure. More often than not, the market for these types of fluids is determined by safety of the containers more so than that container's aesthetics. On the contrary, consumable fluids such as water may be housed in containers that generally have thinner walls and a less rigid structure. Indeed, the market for consumable fluids may be determined by the aesthetics desired by the consumer instead of safety requirements.
Regardless of the specific size and shape of a container, the container should be able to withstand different environmental factors encountered during, for example, manufacturing, shipping and retail shelf stocking or storage. One example of such an environmental factor includes oxygen absorption into the product housed in the container. In this regard, certain liquid consumer products are susceptible to absorption of oxygen that is present in the headspace of the container and/or oxygen that ingresses from the outside environment. This oxygen absorption can create a vacuum inside the container that can attribute to deformation of the bottle, resulting in poor overall aesthetics. Accordingly, a need exists for a lightweight fluid container having improved structural features as well as desirable aesthetic characteristics.